Saving the Internet
(without wrecking it)
A forum on the digital environment
Cynthia Fertman
Jonathan Zittrain
"Bad code is an inevitable side effect of generativity, and as PC users are increasingly victimized by bad code, consumers are likely to reject generative PCs in favor of safe information appliances. . . It is entirely reasonable for consumers to factor security and stability into their choice. But it is an undesirable choice to have to make."
Bruce M. Owen
"The modesty of Zittrain’s proposals makes it seem churlish to question his reasoning. But Zittrain uses evocative language to describe the dangers of inaction, and this may incite others to urge less modest remedies."
Richard Stallman
"The root of this problem, both in general PCs and restricted computers, is software controlled by its developer. . . The remedy is to give the users more control, not less."
Susan Crawford
"The word ’security’ is a cover label. It means different things to different people, just as ’Internet’ means different things to different people. In the eyes of many existing institutions, though, security isn’t really a problem it’s an opportunity. . . All of these actors have powerful incentives to both amplify the security issue and then be seen as solving it."
David D. Clark
"In the real world, we use social constructs to create an environment that is ’safe enough,’ one sufficiently secure and predictable that we are prepared to live in it. . . we need to put into practice theories of security that allow us to depend on our friends, share insights and observations with others, and establish a socially embedded online experience."
Roger A. Grimes
"Internet security is fundamentally flawed, and radical, community-based intervention is vital to mitigating the ubiquitous, hostile elements that threaten the Web. However, [Zittrain's] security ideas do not address the core, causative factors of insecurity and other significant categories of Internet maliciousness that would easily circumvent his proposed solutions."
Hal Varian
"Zittrain’s Dilemma is how to gain the benefits of an open, general purpose technology—such as a programmable networked PC—while avoiding the costs—malware that can infect an entire network of devices. He offers several sensible suggestions for policy reforms to address this sort of problem. But there is no silver bullet."
Zittrain Responds
"The best solutions don’t assume a zero-sum tradeoff between security and generativity."
See Professor Zittrain discuss The Future of the Internet on the Colbert Report
Keep up with your favorite independent, nonprofit magazine!
BR Kindle Singles
CHAVEZ, JEWS,
AND THE LEFT
by Claudio Lomnitz
and Rafael Sánchez
POOR REASON
Culture Still Doesn't
Explain Poverty
by Stephen Steinberg
APOCALYPSE
by Junot Díaz
